Then something has changed in the last 2 months since we ordered room service and MDR food to have in our suite via the butler on most days in January and no charges were made and our butler was very clear that this was the way to do it.

I have only been on 3 cruises over 6 years, (all with P&O to the Caribbean, so I don't know whether I'm permitted to post or even have an opinion on this subject. As such I guess I am one of those who has been able to cruise thanks to the almost much lamented by some lower prices. In my opinion, and I don't care if some don't agree, the basic product has changed very little with the exception of the entertainment which I think was very poor on my most recent holiday. What has changed, even in my relatively short experience, is the attitude to formality of many of customers. More and more folk seem to prefer a far more relaxed approach and recently P&O staff were not enforcing their own policies as strongly as previously. This leads to problems as some holiday makers are obviously keen that others "follow the rules" - while others seem to enjoy pushing back against the codes even to the extent that one guy I met had to buy a pair of long trousers at the first stop as he hadn't packed any. As others have said, P&O need to decide where they want to put themselves in the market and if they want to retain things like the dress codes then they should enforce them. Otherwise drop them so everyone knows where they stand. I enjoyed my holiday as frankly I don't really care what others do so long as they don't affect me.

Have travelled premium 3 times and economy twice all to the Caribbean. It's certainly a better experience but I am no sure the food or service is any better. Is it nicer? - yes. Is it worth the money? - In my view no but if you can afford it then why not. People do apparently like the "free" drinks, but they are not free just included in the price and I a not a great fan of drinking lots on aeroplanes. As with so many other things it's a personal choice with no 100% answer.

The same rules apply wherever you fly from on these charters so nearly everyone manages it. It's really not a problem, you just need to take what is necessary rather than lots of stuff. We just take a shorts and flip flops for when you get there. Change of pants and top but we wear the trousers, shoes etc we travel in to dinner. So tired anyway and cases always have arrived by the time we want to go to bed.

The text below is from P&O website. The select dining restaurants are included and therefore smart casual or formal will I guess apply depending upon the evening:
The Dress Code applies to a majority of public areas after 6pm. Suggested attire for Dress Codes can be found under the question - Is there a dress code on board. The following venues will enforce the dress code of the evening:
Arcadia
Intermezzo, The Crow's Nest, Meridian, Sindhu and Ocean Grill restaurants. Aurora
Anderson’s, The Crow's Nest, Alexandria, Medina, Sindhu and The Glass House restaurants.
Azura
Blue Bar, Planet Bar, Meridian, Peninsular, Oriental, Sindhu, The Glass House and The Epicurean restaurants.
Britannia
The Crow’s Nest, The Epicurean, Meridian, Peninsular, Oriental, Sindhu and The Glass House restaurants. Oceana
Magnums, Ligurian and Adriatic restaurants. Oriana
Anderson’s, The Crow's Nest, Peninsular, Oriental and Sindhu restaurants.
Ventura
Red Bar, Metropolis, Cinnamon, Saffron, Bay Tree, Sindhu, The Glass House and The Epicurean restaurants.

My knowledge is from the other side. The professionalism of the Ents Manager makes the world of difference to those booked to work on the ship. A good one is there for you when you need their help, will feed back on how things are going and generally make the acts time on ship as good as it can be. They work on the basis that the acts will do better if they are happy. As with most jobs there are also some that are are less effective.

We booked on Oct 17 for Jan 19. At that stage we were told it was very likely we would be flying with TUI (booked direct by phone) but the times hadn't been confirmed at that stage. It didn't worry me either way but we then got an email at the beginning of July 18 which gave the flight times etc which wre then reflected in the personaliser. Plenty of time.

Seat bookings nearly always at midnight, 14 weeks exactly before you fly. There are occasionally delays with the systems but as far as I know it is never before except for higher tier members who have done lots of cruises. Whether it's necessary, good value or a rip off is entirely a matter of opinion and thankfully choice. It's very easy to do, the seat booking "button" changes from grey to green (if you choose to be up at midnight then you will need to keep refreshing your page) but when it's green and you click on it a seat map will appear and you select your seats by clicking on the ones you want. If they are available it might ask you whether you want the same seats coming back. Once selected, you go through to the payment screen and it's done.

Can't think of any reason why it should. Most of the staff I have come across take their jobs seriously and do their best for you if you show them respect as well. Whether the auto grats all went to staff at all is far from certain. If they are motivated by cash then they may well be hoping to get a cash tip from their customers.

Hand luggage in the cabin is stated as 1 piece max 5kg (measurements on personaliser) pp. Many will come up with all sorts of ways of getting round the system (personally never felt the need) or say they have got away with taking additional bags etc etc but others including us have witnessed TUI and TC staff enforcing the advice strictly and asking the ladies in particular to put handbags into other cabin bag leading to some passengers having to put stuff into their hold bag. The funniest is seeing some folk turning up with cabin bags that are obviously over the requested cabin size and then get really angry when challenged by the staff (I have no idea why - the measurements are clear enough). I think it's a matter of luck whether its enforced strictly but don't be surprised if it is. In the end, cabin space is limited on the plane so they have to limit what they allow people to take so everyone gets a fair share. I just fold 2 suits in my hold luggage and they are fine after being hung up for a while. If hold luggage weight is an issue, additional KGs can be purchased direct from the airline.